The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for french braiding hair and especially to a method of french braiding hair using a braiding aid having a plurality of connected elastic loops.
Braiding is a process of interweaving three or more strands of strips or lengths of hair or the like in a diagonally overlapping pattern in order to style a person's hair by the interweaving of the hair. In the present invention, a hair braiding method and apparatus is used for french braiding hair in a predetermined pattern which is both simple and rapid. In the past, there has been a wide variety of prior U.S. patents where a hair braiding or styling apparatus has been suggested. The Sapkus U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,690, is for a Hair Braiding Apparatus which is hand-held and hand-operated but which passes strands of hair through a plurality of apertures to interweave and braid the hair in a predetermined pattern. In the Reiner U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,769, a Fastening Device is provided for tying a ponytail which includes two centrally connected resilient loops and in which each loop has an enlargement at its outer end, such that one enlargement can be snapped over the other. In the Harriett U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,245, a Hair Tying Apparatus and Method is provided which includes a needle and a hair tie. The hair tie has one tie strand attached to an elastic loop so that the device can be used to tie the tie strand around a portion of a person's hair. The Edmark U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,870, is for a Styling Tool for inverting a hair tail to provide a specific hair style. The Hoffmann U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,266, is for a Hair Holder similar to the Reiner patent which has a cord with two enlarged end members which can be wrapped around a portion of hair to tie the hair into a ponytail. The Obergfell U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,544, is for a combination headband and ponytail holder. A design patent to Solomon, No. D 220,019, shows a Flexible Hair Holder having a pair of loops connected with a central strand and having a ball on each of the loops. The Kietz U.S. Pat. No. 1,393,448, shows a Device for Waving Hair having a plurality of interconnecting wire loops. The Thompson U.S. Pat. No. 1,408,146, is a Hair Wave Former in which strands of hair are looped around a two-pronged device for waving the hair. The Baldwin U.S. Pat. No. 1,724,249, is a Marcel Hair Waver having a flat member with a plurality of slots for wrapping the hair therearound and onto the hair waver where it is strapped with a rubber band. The Clinch, Sr. U.S. Pat. No. 2,063,299, is a Trimming technique which braids a cord around a core strand. The Cecil U.S. Pat. No. 2,910,990, shows a Hair Waving Device, having a pair of connected loops. The Aniszewski et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,133, is for a Hair Curler having a hairpin shape with an undulated outer side shaped for the placement of hair.
In contrast to these prior patents, the present invention is directed towards a french braiding aid for french braiding hair in a particular pattern. Using the braiding aid allows for the rapid braiding of the hair in a particular pattern with a reduced amount of skill. The braiding aid also allows for a plurality of decorative ornaments to be spaced in the hair as finally braided.